New rehabilitation center to be built at UM/Jackson medical campus

Philanthropist Christine Lynn with Marc Buoniconti, president of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
Robert Camarena
The Buoniconti Fund

Philanthropist Christine Lynn with Marc Buoniconti, president of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
Robert Camarena
The Buoniconti Fund

A new 100-bed rehabilitation center at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center campus broke ground Wednesday, the first project that will be built using money from a $830 million bond to upgrade Jackson and build new medical facilities.

The Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis will combine neuroscience research, clinical care and rehabilitation, according to UM President Donna Shalala. The center will “provide the most advanced and comprehensive care for patients with spinal cord and brain injuries,” she added.

It will also allow proximity to rehabilitation for clinical trials for those dealing with life-altering spinal cord and brain injuries led by Miami Project researchers at the medical center.

The center will be built at Northwest 12th Avenue and 16th Street with $25 million donated by philanthropist Christine E. Lynn, a former nurse, plus about $75 million from the $830 million general obligation bond approved by Miami-Dade voters in 2013. It is scheduled to open in about two years.